


the jedi and the mandalorian

by hansadlo



Category: Star Wars, Star Wars Original Trilogy, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Bisexual Din Djarin, DINLUKE, Gay Luke Skywalker, Luke Skywalker POV, M/M, gay panic luke skywalker, luke skywalker training grogu, mlm, post-season 2 mandalorian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:41:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29247462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hansadlo/pseuds/hansadlo
Summary: Luke has been training Grogu for some time, and has been taking more and more notice of his companion, The Mandalorian named Din Djarin. A change in their routine leads Luke to Din's ship, where he accidentally catches the bounty hunter without his helmet.
Relationships: Din Djarin & Grogu | Baby Yoda & Luke Skywalker, Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker
Comments: 4
Kudos: 274





	1. helmet-less

**Author's Note:**

> i've been going through intense dinluke brainrot lately and decided to write this!! (it's entirely my brain vomit so be nice <3)
> 
> for more dinluke content in the future you can find me @dinskywaIker (uppercase i instead of lowercase l) on twitter!!!

As a child, Luke had only ever known his life on Tatooine, trapped on a sand planet within a vast expanse of a universe. There wasn’t a day that went by when he didn’t wish to be soaring through the galaxy, exploring planets, a new adventure every day. Eventually, he’d gotten his wish, but it had come at a price, as he’d learned most things do. With the promise of adventure came loss, pain, challenges so great he’d thought he would never succeed. And yet, he’d been united with his family, saved his father and the galaxy, and become a powerful Jedi in the process.

Now, as one of the last remaining Jedi in the galaxy, he’d moved on to a new mission, a bigger mission. It had begun with Grogu, the child that reached out to him through the Force, and the man who’d been protecting him from the Empire. The duo were an interesting pair, a Mandalorian bounty hunter and a Force-sensitive child, who happened to be of the same species as his old Master. When he’d found them on a lone Imperial cruiser and saved them from what Moff Gideon had called “Dark Troopers,” he hadn’t expected to find such a strong bond between the two of them. Even if Grogu hadn’t told him how special the Mandalorian was to him, he could sense it.

Luke knew that the Mandalorian, whose name he’d learned later to be Din, was reluctant to give the child away, scared to let him go. Luke wished he could have done more to reassure the man that Grogu would be safe with him. When Din had removed his helmet, the child cupping his face, it gave Luke a feeling he hadn’t experienced since he was a boy with his aunt and uncle on Tatooine. The two of them were a family. So, being the softie on the inside that he was, Luke had later offered Man- Din, to visit Grogu whenever he liked. It was the least he could do.

At first, the visits were spaced out, but had become routine. Din would come to see Grogu, leave, and then several days later return again. As time went on, and as Grogu’s training continued, Din would visit more often and stay for longer periods of time. He would watch as Luke and Grogu trained, the child looking to him often and receiving a nod in return. The Mandalorian was quiet, reserved, but Luke could tell that he watched their training with genuine curiosity. They would have conversations about Jedi things, how the Force works, why Jedi wield lightsabers. Luke enjoyed answering his questions, and in all honesty, his presence.

Their routine had become so second nature that one day, when Luke had come to check on Grogu, Din wasn’t there as he usually would be. The child was sleeping soundly in his bed, and Luke decided to let him sleep a little longer today while he went to check for Din’s ship outside. Out of habit, maybe because he was more anxious nowadays than he’d been in the past, Luke’s hand drifted to his lightsaber as he made his way out onto the landing pad, eyes drifting to the beat up ship that Din had managed to find after his had been destroyed. Closing his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, he couldn’t sense anything out of the ordinary. He continued towards the ship, hand still on his weapon, when he saw the familiar form of the bounty hunter emerging from the ship, but something was different.

Din wasn’t wearing his helmet.

Luke stood still for a moment, eyes on the face of the man he’d seen every day for who knew how long, but never truly seeing his face. Not since the day he’d met them on the cruiser. It wasn’t that he’d forgotten what Din’s face looked like, actually it was quite the opposite, but something about seeing it again made him stand still, unable to tear his eyes away. When they’d met, Luke hadn’t known the man behind the mask, but now, he  _ did _ know him. His name, his voice, how caring and gentle he was, and how adorably curious he was. It was like Luke was seeing Din for the first time, and he could hear his heart beating in his ears.

Once Din’s eyes landed on the Jedi, panic set in on his face, snapping Luke out of his trace in time to snap his head away and begin to apologize profusely. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you inside so- so I came to check on you. I didn’t- I’m sorry.”

He felt his face flush with embarrassment, knowing that Mandalorians weren’t meant to take off their helmets in front of outsiders, and he’d just stared like an idiot! He could have run away, he was still debating it, but he didn’t. He listened as the bounty hunter stepped onto the landing pad and came a bit closer, stopping a few feet from Luke before he spoke. “It’s alright, that was my fault, not yours.”

Hearing the familiar muffled sound of Din’s voice, Luke slowly turned to face the man, relieved and, at the same time, disappointed to be greeted by his helmet once again. Letting out a soft sigh, the Jedi stood straight, hoping that Din wouldn’t realize how flushed his face was. “I should have shouted or something, I apologize. I was coming to check on you since you weren’t in the child’s room..” He trailed off, realizing how visibly nervous he probably was. The Mandalorian stood for a moment before crossing his arms, his Beskar armor glinting in the soft morning light. “No need to apologize, I’m sorry I worried you.” His voice seemed a little strained, not as even as it usually was. Luke felt a twinge of guilt, he probably just messed everything up. How could he have stared like that?! What was he thinking?

Before Luke could speak again, Din hesitantly took a step closer to the Jedi, and then another, until they were about arms length apart. Luke was frozen, his heart beating so loudly he was sure the Mandalorian could hear it. Din lifted his arm, gently placing a hand on Luke’s shoulder. It sent a wave of heat down Luke’s spine, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. Luke had never seen Din touch anyone except Grogu, come to think of it, he’d never even seen Din stand this close to anyone else. Despite being covered in armor, Luke could almost sense the heat coming from the bounty hunter, feeling his presence more intensely than he’d ever had before.

Din spoke carefully, but Luke could hear the genuine tone of his voice through the helmet, “Don’t worry, really.” Luke let out the breath he’d been holding, a gentle smile appearing on his lips as he moved to place his gloved hand on Din’s. The tension he’d been holding in his shoulders leaves, and just like that, one touch relieved any worry he’d had up until now. He spoke gently, blue eyes fixed on the brown ones he knew were looking back at him. “Okay.”

The bounty hunter removed his hand slowly, and even though Luke only had one real hand, he was sure he could still feel the warmth of Din’s hand under his own mechanical one. As Din began to turn away, Luke felt some of the confidence he’d lost creeping back into him, the gentle smile on his lips turning into more of a smirk. He spoke evenly as he watched the man walk away, arms crossing over his chest as he spoke.

“Maybe next time, you don’t put the helmet back on.”

Din stopped in his tracks, slowly turning slightly towards Luke. The Jedi watched as the Mandalorian let out what seemed to be a breathy laugh before he spoke.

“We’ll see, Jedi.”


	2. lightsaber training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place a few days after chapter 1. Luke has decided to begin Grogu's lightsaber training, but Din is a bit nervous about the process. While teaching Grogu about how lightsabers are made and their importance to the Jedi, he's able to make a connection with Din, one that he won't be forgetting any time soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi there! so, i've decided to make this an ongoing story! it will not necessarily one chapter follows directly after the other, they may be spaced out over days or weeks within the storyline. i hope you'll follow me on the journey of these three goofballs and that you enjoy this chapter! (it's a bit longer than the first one)
> 
> for more dinluke content, you can find me @dinskywaIker (uppercase i instead of lowercase l) on twitter!
> 
> thank you so much for reading!! -hansadlo

The days had begun to blend together since Luke had stumbled upon Din without his mask. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but he found himself longing more and more to see the man’s face again, to see the smile he could sometimes hear in Din’s voice. It’d become yet another routine for him, waking up and going to wake up Grogu, seeing Din there and immediately picturing his face, but being greeted by the helmet every time. He had to remind himself that this was the way his clan, his Creed, worked. Din had told him once that the Creed could take off their helmets in front of each other, but no one outside the Creed. He couldn’t judge too much, the Jedi had many such rules and traditions that he’d been learning for a while. But still, for some reason, it broke his heart.

Luke had to teach himself to push his thoughts and feelings to the side when necessary, and he’d decided that situations like this were necessary. The reason he’d allowed Din to visit Grogu at all was because it benefitted the child’s training. Luke had learned that the Jedi had forbidden attachments in the past, before the Republic had fallen and become the Empire, but he believed that this was counter productive. Using one's emotions and feelings was important for a Jedi, and in Grogu’s case, his only real attachment was to Din. They were inseparable, Luke had known that the moment he’d taken Grogu away on that cruiser. Instead of fighting their connection and willing Grogu to let it go, he embraced it, and so far it was working wonders.

That didn’t mean that it wasn’t difficult to push feelings away. For Luke, it had never been easy, but the path he was on meant he had to sometimes, no matter how difficult.

Despite his inner conflicts, Luke knew that Din’s presence was essential for Grogu’s training. Grogu was very talented, and had quite a bit of power for such a small creature. He knew that Grogu was young, even if in years he was older than Luke himself, but his old master had lived to be 900 years old. There was very little that he knew about their species beyond what he knew about Master Yoda, but Grogu was proving to be a talented student, which didn’t surprise Luke at all. He’d noticed much more commitment and excitement in Grogu when the Mandalorian was around, and he’d improved much more quickly compared to when Din wasn’t around. Luke sensed that the man was more than just Grogu’s friend, he was like his guardian or his father, his presence was comforting for the child. Who was Luke to stand in the way of that? Especially if it helped Grogu on his journey to becoming a Jedi.

When he thought about the connection between Grogu and Din, he wondered why the Jedi had forbidden attachments so long ago. Their rules had all seemed so contradictory, so confusing for him. He didn’t believe that being a Jedi meant he could not have connections or attachments. It was those very things that kept him going, people like Leia and Han and his Masters. So, he planned on teaching the next generation of Jedi in a different way, encouraging their attachments, because in his experience, they made him stronger. So, Luke set a few boundaries that Din had respectfully followed, and that was that.

What Luke hadn’t expected was how much he would enjoy Din’s company.

In the beginning, the Mandalorian had been quiet, only speaking when he needed to say something. Over time, he began to speak more instead of just listening, nodding, and giving short answers when Luke would try to make conversation. He would even ask the Jedi questions, mostly about what a Jedi was, and Luke would gladly entertain the bounty hunter. He was happy to teach people about the Jedi, and given the history he’d learned from even before the Clone Wars, it was interesting to speak to a Mandalorian who didn’t know a  _ thing _ about who the Jedi were.

On this particular day, the day Luke had planned to let Grogu begin his lightsaber training, when Din had  _ many _ more questions than usual. Their day had started as their days normally did, with the three of them eating together before Luke decided to lead them outside for training. He felt a strong connection with the Force when out in the fresh air, surrounded by life. As soon as Luke had begun teaching his lesson, telling Grogu about how lightsabers work, how they are essential to a Jedi’s life, he could sense Din’s peaked interest before the man even spoke.

“Luke,” Din spoke hesitantly as he watched the Jedi reach for the saber hanging from his hip, “are you sure he’s ready for this?” Forcing himself not to smile at the Mandalorians doting concern for the child, Luke unhooked his lightsaber and turned to Din, “To fight? No. But to learn? Yes. A lightsaber is more than a weapon for a Jedi, it is our life.” He paused for a moment, suddenly aware that the eyes behind the helmet were focused on him. Luke blinked, turning back to face Grogu again. He knelt down, pressing his non-mechanical hand to the ground on which they stood.

“The Force is everywhere, in everything and everyone. It binds us together, and while it’s a powerful tool, you can’t use the Force to solve every problem. Jedi build lightsabers for some of those problems.” Luke stood again, looking to the lightsaber in his gloved hand, “Something that separates lightsabers from something like a blaster is the way they’re made, and what they mean.”

Luke could sense that Din might have been more curious than Grogu was at that moment, suddenly remembering that the Mandalorian had once told him how important weapons were to his Creed and their way of life. Luke had begun to think that the Jedi and the Mandalorians weren’t so different as they’d seemed in the past.

Taking a breath, Luke ignited his lightsaber, turning it from side to side as he spoke, “The most important part of a lightsaber is what’s on the inside. It’s called a kyber crystal, it’s what makes the blade work and also gives it its color.” Luke continued to explain the process known as The Gathering, how kyber crystals had become harder to find since the Empire had risen. The entire time he spoke, he would glance at Din every once in a while, turning back to Grogu soon after. He couldn’t help but let a small smile creep onto his features as the two of them listened intently. It felt good to teach someone about all that he’d learned of the Jedi, especially since many still saw the Jedi as traitors, or didn’t believe they existed anymore.

Turning off his saber, Luke knelt down to the child, holding out the saber for him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Din flinch. The Jedi turned to him, offering a gentle smile, “It’s alright.” He turned back to Grogu, letting the child take the saber as he spoke, “Don’t ignite it. All you need to do is use the Force. Find the crystal inside, feel it.” Grogu’s hands were so small, he could just barely hold the saber on his own, but he did as he was told, his small eyes closing gently.

Luke could feel Din’s uneasiness, standing and watching as Grogu slowly began to lift the saber into the air. He smiled, knowing what it felt like to feel how powerful the Force could be, even within the smallest of things like kyber crystals, and even Grogu. Luke quietly moved over to Din, leaning closer, his voice low as not to disturb Grogu. “I can feel how nervous you are, just relax. He’s perfectly fine.”

Din turned his head to the Jedi, suddenly making him aware of how close they actually were. Luke moved his head back a bit before turning to the Mandalorian, seeing his reflection in the polished beskar of the man’s armor. Din spoke low, his voice even more raspy as he tried to speak quietly. It made Luke’s shoulders grow tense, his cheeks noticeably warming as he listened.

“I know, doesn’t mean I won’t worry.”

Luke let a small, soft laugh fall from his lips, giving a gentle nod. He understood, all too well. He hadn’t been much of a worrier as a kid, nothing much to worry about. But since that day a pair of droids changed his life, he’d started to worry a lot more. Leia always told him worrying was good, it meant he cared. And he did, a lot. The incident he’d had, running into Din without his helmet, was a result of how much he cared. But he couldn’t quite understand the kind of worrying Din did for Grogu, not yet, anyway.

“Worrying is good,” he said, smiling as he spoke, “my sister always tells me that.” The two fell quiet for a moment, watching the child concentrate, and Luke could feel just how powerful the child was already becoming. He was proud, and he decided that Din should know just how remarkable his little friend was. “You know, he is excelling at an amazing rate. He’s strong with the Force, maybe even stronger than me.”

Din shifted a bit, and somehow, Luke knew he was smiling under that helmet.

“Yeah? I knew he was special. Even before he started doing your… weird space magic stuff.”

This made Luke laugh a little too loud, causing Grogu to snap out of his concentration, Luke’s saber falling to the ground. The child made a noise of disappointment, Luke suddenly feeling embarrassed. The teacher distracting the student, not quite what he’d imagined. “I’m sorry Grogu, you can keep going if you want.” Hesitantly, as if eyeing his teacher and his guardian as he moved, Grogu held out his hands and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate once again. Luke covered his mouth with his gloved hand, still holding back laughter from Din’s comment.

“Space magic, I haven’t heard that in a while.”

This time, Din was the one that laughed, a lot quieter than Luke had. His shoulders shook as he laughed, somehow conveying emotion that Luke hadn’t seen from the Mandalorian before. It nearly took his breath away, and wished he could see the smile beneath the beskar.

“That’s what this is, right? ‘The Force’? If I hadn’t seen it in person, I wouldn’t believe it.” After regaining his composure, Luke smiled, embracing this moment wholeheartedly. He’d been hoping something like this would happen one day, when the two of them would make a connection beyond Grogu. It felt good, warm, comfortable.

Luke crossed his arms over his chest, turning his head back towards Grogu as he spoke, his tone lighter than before, “And I wouldn’t have believed in Mandalorians if I hadn’t seen one in person.” This was partially true. Aside from Boba Fett, Din was the only other Mandalorian Luke had ever met, and apparently, he wasn’t the only one out there.

“Well,” Din said, straightening up a little, “guess we’re both myths come to life.”

Luke’s heart, for some reason, fluttered a bit. He smiled.

“Yeah, I guess so.”


End file.
